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Creating Personas

Turn research into actionable personas that guide product decisions

Your Progress

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From Research to Persona

You have conducted 5-10 interviews. You have pages of notes. Now what?

Creating a persona means finding patterns across your research. You are not creating a fictional character. You are documenting what you learned.

The persona is a communication tool. It helps your team remember real people when making decisions.

Build Your Persona from Research

Interactive Persona Builder

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Step 1: Your Research

Paste interview notes or key findings from your research.

What to Include

✓ Include This

  • Goals: What are they trying to achieve?
  • Behaviors: What do they actually do?
  • Pain Points: What frustrates them?
  • Context: When/where do they use your product?
  • Quote: One memorable thing they said

✗ Do Not Include

  • Stock Photos: Real user photos or none at all
  • Irrelevant Demographics: Age/location only if it matters
  • Made-up Details: Only include what you learned
  • Personal Backstory: Not a novel character
  • Everything: Keep it to one page

Example: Good Persona

Marcus, Engineering Manager

35 years old, San Francisco

Goals
  • • Ship features faster without sacrificing quality
  • • Keep team motivated and aligned
  • • Reduce time spent in meetings
Pain Points
  • • Too many tools (team uses 8 different apps)
  • • Hard to see what is blocking team
  • • Stakeholders ask for status constantly

"I don't need another dashboard. I need to know what's actually blocking my team right now."

Choose Your Persona Format

Persona Template Formats

Different formats work for different teams. Choose what fits your workflow.

How Many Personas?

Answer: 3 to 5 personas maximum.

Too Few (1-2)

You probably have not captured diversity. Go interview more people.

Just Right (3-5)

Enough to represent key groups. Few enough that team will remember them.

Too Many (6+)

Nobody will remember all of them. Combine similar personas.

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Start with One Primary Persona

Who are you designing for first? Start there. Add secondary personas later if needed. One well-researched persona is better than five assumptions-based ones.

Key Takeaways

  • •Find patterns across research—personas document what you learned, not what you imagined.
  • •Include goals, behaviors, pain points, context, and a memorable quote.
  • •Exclude stock photos, irrelevant details, and made-up backstory.
  • •Create 3-5 personas maximum. Start with one primary persona.
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